New York City, New York:• Sunday August 26, 2007- 7 PM at Bluestockings Radical Books on the Lower East Side 172 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington – 1 block south of Houston and 1st Avenue.• August 27, 2007 at 7 PM at The Interdepedence Project at Lila Center 302 Bowery at Houston (this will be the most like a formal lecture among all the NYC appearances) RSVP soon, space is limited.• August 28, 2007 at 7:30 PM Barnes & Noble in Greenwich Village 396 Ave of the Americas at 8th Street, New York, NY 10011

OK, so last night a friend of mine needed a ride to meet a friend of hers. Let’s call the first friend Sally and the second friend Tabitha. Tabitha had invited Sally to a Network Marketing thing out in Silverlake. Silverlake is a hipster area of Los Angeles.

This was my first chance to see a Network Marketing event. Network Marketing is like Amway or Herbalife or maybe Avon. There are these companies that don’t do advertising. They just throw fake parties where they try to get you to buy their stuff. But they don’t just want you to buy the stuff. They want you to beocme a salesperson for their stuff.

The atmosphere was pretty much like what you get at a religious cult gathering. A number of people are planted throughout the audience who are already converts. Their job is to yell, “Woo-hooo!” at certain scripted points in the presentation. Or sometimes they get more subtle and just say things like, “Wow!” or, “Unbelievable!” on cue as if they just happen to be there and are impressed with the Power Point presentation.

At the end of the presentation converts walk around and ask newbies, “What did you like?” I got asked this three times by people who apparently didn’t realize how fucking obvious they were being. I said, “It’s a nice house.” Because it was. That left every one of them stupified. Get a little more creative people!! At least say, “Yes and this house was bought by money earned from being a member.” Shit. Even I could’ve done that. Don’t just stand there slack jawed because I didn’t say something about the stupid presentation. Dipshits.

ANYWAY this particular scam — er, scheme — was some kind of cheap vacation deal. The idea was they form a big group who can buy bulk and reduce the prices of vacations for their members (oops! I wasn’t supposed to say that, they told us so at the end of the presentation). Nice, I guess, if you want to go on generic vacations with a bunch of zombies from their group.

As I watched this thing unfold I realized I’d seen exactly the same thing twice before. Once was on the video of The Secret and the other was on the You Tube clips of Gempo Roshi’s Big Mind® seminars. As I said, it’s a religious cult type atmosphere at these marketing events. All the folks from The Secret and Big Mind® have done is apply the network marketing philosophy and techniques to so-called “spiritual” practices. Which, in itself, were reverse engineered by profit seekers from religious cult techniques. Clever, really. But in the end valueless.

This is why Genpo Roshi ought to be kicked in the ass very, very hard. In the case of The Secret, the whole thing is a load of horseshit right to its core. There’s not a smidge of value to be had in it at all. It’s not even as useful as Herbalife or cheap zombie vacations. But Genpo is trying the same bullshit with Zen which, at its core is the most practical and useful philosophy and practice to be found. Like I’ve said before, if you wanna go attend one of Genpo’s idiot conventions, be my guest. But that is not Buddhism and anyone who says it is ought to have his butt thoroughly booted.

The entire network marketing thing — of which Big Mind® and The Secret are examples — is based on two ideas. One is that what you really want out of life is OVER THERE somewhere. Not here. The other is that the dude running the show has what you need and can sell it to you. It’s pure confusion created and sustained by collective thought.

Also, interestingly, both the network marketing scams and Big Mind® espouse the same idea that this stuff used to take a lot of time, effort and energy, but now a new technique has been developed that’ll give you the same effect right away without all the muss and fuss. In the case of the network marketers the goal getting rich, in the case of Genpo and all the rest of them it’s getting enlightenment. Believe whatever you want, suckers.

Listen. I’m just telling you what I can see. I don’t give a shit if you believe it or not. I’m not trying to convince you I’m right. But I do think there’s some value in expressing this point of view even if nobody pays much attention. So there.

“3) In your view, can a teacher make a mistake in giving the Dharma Transmission to a student?

(Gudo’s opinion) I think that there might be several times to make my mistakes in giving Dharma to them, and especially in my case I have sometimes given my Dharma for encouraging my students before they haven’t matured yet.”

Mysterion, as your attourney I recommend to pop all the pills at once. I’d like to inform you that I have reserved a nice high roller 4000 sqft suite for us at the MGM Grand. We should sell the suicide girls to the truck drivers.

Because I have nothing to constructive to add to the conversation about Big Mind and Ramen-Noodle Englightenment (just add water!), instead I’ll address one of Mysterion’s numerous posts:

There’s more evidence to suggest that I wrote Shakespeare than there is for Francis Bacon being the author. The whole theory, which fails to take into account anything about sixteenth and seventeenth century English society, writing, and history, is absurd. The ENTIRE idea of Francis Bacon having written the plays stems from the psychotic ravings of Delia Bacon, self-proclaimed decendent of F. Bacon in her “book”, “Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere [sic] Unfolded”, which for all intents and purposes is random babble.

Personally, I don’t give two shits about who wrote the plays. But it’s a bit in the vein of a conspiracy theory, or the theater equivalent, to say Bacon did. Then again, Jesus was a Buddhist, so…

I don’t understand this BigMind thing, but still feel that I can comment on this E thing.

Zen teachers in Rinzai (and also in Soto but not so much) tradition use private meetings with students to trigger something in them to happen. This is combined with zazen of course. Usually the student practices koans, but not always.

My own kensho experience: I sat trough night and then WHAM, everything was different. In the morning I went to my teacher and we both sat still. I did not tell him from my experience. Next day I passed my koan. He probed me on my koan (who am I?), Answers came out of my mouth. I felt totally normal, no trace of the WHAM thing remained. Still my answers were different and came freely. My actions were different. I had different perspective witch I could not notice without Roshi poking me with questions. Passing your first Koan in Rinzai zen is considered as real beginning of zen practize. I did 12 years of zazen to get into that point.

I am really doubtful that BigMind can make this happen faster. On the other hand it happens that certain few people have this kensho thing happen to them almost immediately when they start to practice.

What I really don’t like in BigMind attitude is the fact that you need decades of zazen after your kensho (if it really happens in BigMind training) to be able to actualize it. If people get their E and happily go away without starting daily zazen, they have wasted more than $250 and know nothing of zen.

…you need decades of zazen after your kensho (if it really happens in BigMind training) to be able to actualize it. If people get their E and happily go away without starting daily zazen, they have wasted more than $250 and know nothing of zen.

I can’t comment on whether BigMind does what it claims and provokes kensho experiences, but I have heard Genpo Roshi in interview deny that BigMind is a substitute for Zazen – it is just a kensho experience and should be treated the way any other kensho experience is treated.

Conspiracy theorists/terrorists and related lower species enjoy to disable certain logic circuits in their brain only in those cases when they feel it nourishes their theory. Once they’ve made their point they continue in “logical” habits from there on.

To mix up “What if…?” and “Why not…?” with serious inquiry or even science is actually insulting for any sane person.

It’s just like kids who cannot accept that the world is just like it is, without Santa Claus but with all the nasty stuff in it, even Shakespeare, Jesus, Tricky Dick, Dead Elvis, Dead JFK, 9/11, and also evil Genpo-roshi.

But Brad Warner is actually the last survivor of an ancient alien culture that crashed on earth 108 Million years ago. Why? He had used the number 108 several times. Or the square root of it. And he is Vegetarian, don’t you understand?

How can you, dear ole Mysterion, really feel smarter than us whilst brabbeling bullshit about some personal faked alternate reality like you do here without even being slightly on topic?

Let me tell you what instant-enlightnement means to me; sitting on my balcony early sunday morning and seeing a bit of dirt in the form of a midget or drinking a cold glas of water during a hot summers day, or even better; feeling the ripples and holes in an old stone I found somewhere in the woods.Shall I continue?

Instant enlightenment for hire at top dollar — Some people might love it, sure. But, does that make it Buddhism? My humble opinion is that what the Buddha taught had to deal with the Four Noble Truths,The Eightfold Path, — does Big Mind teach this in an accurate and balanced manner?

Honestly I don’t know, but if the awnser is no, then Brad’s right “BM” is not Buddhism. But then again what is “real Buddhism”I’d argue that its simpley objective free practice, something done for it’s own sake as a lifestyle — we cannot really categorize and label it, only do it.

If you’re charging for it–it ain’t the real deal,it’s a commercial, for-profit, enterprise.I think this is the trickiest part of the trickier path: how do we sustain ourselves and our practice. If we don’t charge, how will we live?We don’t live in forests. We don’t live on farms, hell, we don’t even have vegetable gardens! ( In this US of A homelessness could not be taken on by a religious movement–although it is the manifestation of trickled down consequences resulting from the societal beliefs we actually act on and act out– Jesus, Buddha and entourage would be rounded up as vagrants–What, no permanent address? (although I guess both could give their Dad’s home address–and I’m talking the flesh and blood dad–not the bearded grey haired guy in the sky).Begging isn’t something we condone in this culture–but advertising is…Advertising is a hustler’s way of begging.Except that you are supposed to give someone something in exchange for their money.And in zen there’s nothing to give, nothing to get (and it takes a considerable period of dedicated, diligent time to get or give this nothing).Big Mind ™ sounds like a meditator’s vibrator. Something quick and easy. Yeah, it might ‘take you there’, as a localized event. I’m not putting down vibrators here, all manner of skillful means has it’s place in the bedroom, But a vibrator does not replace an inventive, interested lover who takes their time.Just who you are–there on the zafu or there on the bed– to force anything is to by pass the naturally occurring means to arrive at your own pace in your own time. The fact is there is no short cut to sitting on the cushion, facing the wall, facing yourself, facing this life.Charging for “enlightnment experience” is pimping the practice. There, I’ve said it.

Zen Buddhism steps out of monasteries and no longer as monks, but as lay practitioners,priestly practice enters into and is confronted by daily life–The temptation is to charge for it–join the self-help movement, follow the footsteps of other religious groups–charge for lectures, for levels of membership–platinum circle, golden circle, silver circle, bronze circle–plum circle, lotus circle, daisy circle…I would like to think that it just becomes very normal and ordinary–that as I walk through the farmer’s market or my grocery store, I am in the company of lay priests, practitioners who all have regular jobs and don’t have to charge for ‘showing us their enlightment’ but can just live it out in ordinary activities. I’m betting that we can because we are clever, clever, clever humanses.

If we really love this practice we won’t make it our milk cow. Unless, of course we are dairy farming and can truly say of our zen practice ‘It’s the cheese.”

I apologize if someone didn’t get my humor in the first place, I had laugh loud when I saw that I really woke up the hilarious 9/11 denial crowd. Please go back to some adequate place… Not at all I want to read anything about this un-topic anymore.

No one wants to hear that. Your parents are right when they said you should shut up.

Go out into the sun, care about your family. Hug someone.

I really enjoy Mysterion’s posts even he is little strong on the weird side of stories, I love that. I also enjoy a casual provocation every now and then, I actually got him angry once or twice but he deleted his posts, this genius chap.

You know, I don’t know why all you fucking wankers keep flapping your meat about “skillful means” and all of these retarded technicalities and “fine points” of buddhism. Most of you don’t even have a fucking clue as it is, so get over what you read in a book.

but koudelka, if you were posting more comments here, there’d be less ‘retched’ ones!

skillful means a given example by way of definition in buddhist writings is: a father as he approaches sees his house is on fire. He calls to his children, telling them he has candy and toys for them and they come running out of the house to him eager for their presents.

skillful means as used above in comment was meant to be funny in its playful use between zen and sex contexts

but if ‘skillful means’ got you to break your silence on the blog, I’d say that was some pretty skillful use of skillful means rot thar!

In my later years, every sitting was a somewhat new and unique experience. Or I forgot, it doesn’t really matter.

If you have expectations (anxiety) before you sit, you may be disappointed. If THIS Zazen experience was just like the last one, then perhaps you either brought in a little baggage or were a bit judgemental. If you seek some kind of narrow legalistic interpretation or definition of Zen or the Zazen experience, then a few graduate classes in philosophy might better suit your needs.

If you want the Zazen experience, then you need to learn how to sit (posture – requires external eyes – e.g. teacher) and you need to ‘just sit quietly.’

When shit stinks, Koudelka says so, when Koudleka’s shit stinks plenty of folks tell him so.Why do we spend so much time telling each other that other’s shit stinks.You’d think none of us had noses.We can each smell for ourselves that shit–ours and others–shhhtinks!Can we find a way to point this out (just in case someone’s shnozola isn’t working) in the least personally perjorative way possible and move on?I can tell by the temperature of the zafus no one has sat on them for a while now…

I’m not going to nitpick, because I know that’s the fucking stupid game that gets played here.

All I’m saying is let go of your obsessive chasing and your ideas about buddhism because that’s exactly not life. As long as you think anyone “knows” something that you can’t, then you’re never going to be living.

i thank you for clarifiying that you really think you obtained something special. next thing is to realize that it is something really common. then next thing is to “somehow” forget about it. and even after that theres something. but thats not the point here.

and you know by sure that all these nice people have not experienced what you have experienced? thats great because you can show me the trick to know a person by reading 2 sentences. without even knowing if someone is smiling on the other side.

bragging with your “level” or even comparing your “level” to other peoples achievements or the lack thereof was always a very bad pratice for me, you actually “lose” all you might have alledgely achieved right in the moment when you think you are something special. some teachers told me similar things, too. its also in the diamond sutra if you are into reading.

Actually dude, I don’t think I “got” anything special at all. If anything, I just stopped being stupid.

I believe that people wind up in buddhism because they go insane at some point and create a false problem to worry about. I don’t consider it a “spiritual path”, I consider it psychotherapy for very very desperate people.

I don’t have a “level”, people are just people, dude. Everyone eats, shits and dies, we just do different things in the meantime.

Anyways, I seriously do not want to bicker, I’m being dead honest. You’re right man, You win this AWESOME ARGUMENT. THE GOOSE WAS NEVER IN THE BOTTLE IN THE FIRST PLACE LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. WE’RE REALLY HELPING PEOPLE WITH THIS ARGUMENT. fag.